5 Things We Learned From 'Criss Angel BeLIEve': 'Bullet Catch'

This week on Criss Angel BeLIEVE, our hero accomplished another extraordinary feat, and was able to catch a speeding bullet. The demonstration wasn't without its challenges, though. Here are five things we learned from last night's episode, "Bullet Catch."

01) Courage is not the absence of fear; it's just being able to get over it. Even though he's an expert who's done some truly crazy things over the years, Criss has his fair share of nerves before attempting this particular demonstration. And why wouldn't he? Listening to the number of possible ways it could maim or kill him, we got pretty nervous, too. Not that we'd ever have the guts to do what he just did.

02) No, seriously, don't underestimate the weather. With "Blind," it was the wind; with "Bullet Catch," it was the oppressive heat. But once again, Mother Nature complicates one of Criss's demonstrations. This time, the rising temperature even caused a cameraman to pass out. It might seem inconsequential, but it's really not.

03) Sometimes things don't go right the first time. Team Angel is composed of some very talented folks, but they also do their due diligence in planning and preparing for each demonstration. "Bullet Catch" showed us that sometimes, your first design or your first idea isn't the best one, and you've got to work to get the perfect one. Because when you're dealing with potentially fatal consequences, there is zero room for error.

04) Criss Angel has some pretty awesome friends. No, really, he does. In three episodes (counting the sneak peek, "Cement Grave"), we've seen Ice-T, Ludacris, and now Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas. The people that are on his speed-dial are obviously way more interesting than the ones on ours. But who wouldn't want to hang around with somebody whose job it is to routinely do the impossible?

05) Magic without an illusion is still magic. After "Blind," there was some Internet griping going on about the lack of illusions, and "Bullet Catch" is the second episode that features a demonstration in the "Superhuman" category of magic. But we'd argue it's not the act of deception that makes something magic. It's doing something that's seemingly improbable, something that takes us by surprise or leaves us in awe. And being able to catch a bullet, without needing to resort to deceiving us? That's pretty awesome.

The next episode of Criss Angel BeLIEve airs next Tuesday at 10 PM ET/PT on Spike. For more about the show, you can check out BFTV's in-depth chat with Criss Angel.